THE INFLUENCE OF NIETZSCHE ON FREUDS IDEAS

Background. The striking analogies between the ideas of Freud and Frie drich Nietzsche, whose works were published from one to three decades before those of Freud, have been commented upon, but no previous syste matic correlation of the ideas of Nietzsche and Freud has been made. M ethod. The major works of Nietzsche were read, and each possible analo gy to an idea later broached by Freud was correlated by a systematic r eview of his works. Any references to Nietzsche in Freud's writings an d reported conversation were culled. Results. Concepts of Nietzsche wh ich are similar to those of Freud include (a) the concept of the uncon scious mind; (b) the idea that repression pushes unacceptable feelings and thoughts into the unconscious and thus makes the individual emoti onally more comfortable and effective; (c) the conception that repress ed emotions and instinctual drives rater are expressed in disguised wa ys (for example, hostile feelings and ideas may be expressed as altrui stic sentiments and acts); (d) the concept of dreams as complex, symbo lic ''illusions of illusions'' and dreaming itself as a cathartic proc ess which has healthy properties; and (e) the suggestion that the proj ection of hostile, unconscious feelings onto others, who are then perc eived as persecutors of the individual, is the basis of paranoid think ing. Some of Freud's basic terms are identical to those used by Nietzs che. Conclusion. Freud repeatedly stated that he had never read Nietzs che. Evidence contradicting this are his references to Nietzsche and h is quotations and paraphrases of him, in casual conversation and his n ow published personal correspondence, as well as in his early and late r writings.